A Malfoy Madness
by Izzy Bennet
Summary: Scorpius (a proud Gryffindor) and his sister Cassiopeia (an even prouder Slytherin) have an ordinary life. Well, as ordinary as life can be in their final years of Hogwarts, that is. And to complete the madness that is Hogwarts, hormones and house pride, Scorpius's friend Albus Potter causes Cassiopeia to lose sleep- just because he's a jerk? Life really is a Malfoy Madness!
1. A Nocturnal Altercation

Chapter One: A Nocturnal Altercation

"Cassie, a word, please", Scorpius Malfoy said, pushing open the heavy mahogany door to his younger sister's bedroom. Cassiopeia Malfoy sat at a richly ornamented dressing table, her three reflections staring back at her brother from the enormous mirrors adorning her vanity. She wrinkled her nose and gave him a disapproving look.

"Do not call me that." She dismissed her brother with an impatient wave of her delicate hand, continuing to comb her silky hair with a silver brush. "We are not twelve anymore." Scorpius shook his head and placed himself behind the stool she was sitting on. As he laid his hands on her shoulders, he looked down at the petite girl lovingly. Scorpius and Cassiopeia Malfoy looked very much alike. They both had silvery blonde hair, piercing grey eyes and fair skin. Even their expressions were strikingly similar. But apart from their appearance, they didn't have much in common.

"So, what is so important that you had to storm into my bedroom all giddy as if you were stung by a Billywig?", Cassiopeia asked, her calm voice dripping with sarcasm. Looking at her brother, she raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow. She was not a very patient person. But Scorpius didn't know how to find the right words; he knew that his sister wouldn't particularly like what he was about to say. He pushed his fair hair back with one hand, a gesture which gave away his inner tension, before he finally answered. "I need you to be on your best behaviour, for once", he said. "Al is going to stay with us for the rest of the week."

Cassiopeia's almond shaped eyes narrowed; she looked almost dangerous. "School starts on Monday, Scorpius. I do not want anyone to spoil my last week of the summer holidays, thank you. Especially not _Albus Potter._" Scorpius closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Then he said with a firm voice: "You don't have a say in this matter, Cassie. He'll be here soon. This heads up is only a courtesy; now be a dear and be nice to him."

"I am nice when he is", Cassiopeia exclaimed, "but he is never nice, so that is not likely to happen. Oh Merlin, I know that he will ruin the whole week. And _do not call me Cassie_." Scorpius raised his hands conciliatorily. "I told you that it's already decided. Albus is coming over whether you like it or not. Now I don't know why my sister and my best friend hate their guts, but you will deal with it. Both of you."

"Fine", Cassiopeia said in a defeated tone. "But he _is_ a brat. And he _will_ spoil my summer. But if you do not have a heart and do not care about my well-being at all, you can leave now." Scorpius just shrugged his broad shoulders and walked out of her room.

With a frustrated groan, Cassiopeia threw herself onto her rather large canopy bed to wallow in self-pity. Cassiopeia Phoebe Malfoy and Albus Severus Potter absolutely despised each other. To her, he was a stupid prick who liked to tease her every chance he got. And he always managed to get under her skin so she would lose her temper. During the academic year this wasn't the biggest problem, since she was a Slytherin and he had been sorted into Gryffindor. The castle and the grounds were so huge that she didn't have to run onto him very often. But the problem was that Scorpius Malfoy had been sorted into Gryffindor as well. And his best friend just happened to be the very same Albus Severus Potter his younger sister hated so passionately.

* * *

Cassiopeia had spent all day in her rather large bedroom. Still pouting, she had written letters to her friends and finished a book she had been meaning to finish for a while now. In protest, she had even missed dinner, knowing that Albus would be there. "Ugh, he is just such a brat", she mumbled quietly to herself. Now she deeply regretted that she hadn't eaten anything all evening. Laying on her canopy bed between her silky summer sheets, she could hear her stomach rumble.. Trying to get some sleep, she rolled herself from one side to the other, but the sleep just wouldn't come. Even after she had opened all of her arched windows to let in a chilly summer night's breeze, she was wide awake.

Suddenly, Cassiopeia heard the heavy mahogany door leading to the corridor open with a very quiet creak. She jolted up in her bed and narrowed her eyes in the direction of the sound, but it was so dark that she could only make out a shadow slipping into her bedroom. _Who on earth would sneak into her room in the middle of the night?_, she thought to herself herself, her hand darting to her wand instinctively. But as she lit the candle on her nightstand with a match, she saw someone she didn't want to see. Ever.

"Bloody hell, Potter, what are you doing in my bedroom? It is one o'clock in the morning", she hissed at him through her teeth. He had frozen right where he was, looking equally as stunned as Cassiopeia did. "Well", he said after a moment of collecting himself, "this isn't the library." The girl in the bed rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Oh, you think?" she asked sweetly. "The library is the door across the hall, you idiot. Now, if you would excuse me. I am trying to sleep here." When she noticed that he didn't move an inch, she got up and pushed him with all her strength. She wanted him gone! This didn't affect him in any way, though, because he was about a head taller and a lot stronger than her. "I said leave", she groaned, as he still towered over her.

Suddenly he smirked, looking down on the petite girl. "I don't think you want me to leave, Malfoy", he purred rather suggestively. Cassiopeia snarled: "And why would that be, Potter?", spitting out his last name as if it was poison. They quarrelled like their fathers had a long time ago, but while she was getting visibly annoyed, he was obviously enjoying the fight. He had an arrogant smile plastered on his face, flashing his white teeth at his opponent. "That would be because your body is sending me obvious signals. I'm wondering why you haven't thrown yourself at me yet. You know you want to." With these words, Albus detached his emerald eyes from her pale face and let them wander further down her body. Well, apparently not everything was like back in their father's days.

As she followed his gaze, she noticed that her silky nightgown was rather transparent. And since the moonlight fell directly onto her, it seemed as though she was standing in a spotlight. "It's chilly, you arse", she hissed with a nod to the open windows and wrapped her arms around her chest. "Don't flatter yourself!" But he just grinned even wider. "You don't need to hide it, Malfoy. It's only natural. Girls get certain urges when I'm around", he teased her. That caused Cassiopeia to lose her temper completely.

"Well, the only urge I have around you is the urge to vomit", she snapped furiously. "And that's because you're an arrogant, stupid, idiotic, vain and self-absorbed tosser." Albus, still towering over her, lowered his face so that it was only centimetres away from Cassiopeia's. "You forgot handsome", he added cheerily. And with a small wink he turned around, walked out into the hallway and didn't look back at her.

He left Cassiopeia standing in the middle of her bedroom, stiffened as though lightning had struck her. The soft moonlight still enlightened the girl, causing her to look almost unreal. It made her already fair skin even paler, and her light blonde hair shimmered like polished silver.

* * *

"Bloody _hell_, Al!", Albus was greeted when he stepped outside Cassiopeia's room. Scorpius, who had just happened to walk past the door this exact moment, was almost choking on the pasty he snuck out of the kitchen. "What in Merlin's name were you doing in my sister's room, blimey? In the middle of the night, as well", he yelled. His strong, penetrating voice seemed to fill the entire manor.

Albus stood on the threshold in shock, not able to move. His green eyes widened and little drops of sweat started to form on his tanned forehead as he was searching for a believable explanation. But he couldn't find one. "I was looking for the library", he said finally, deciding to tell the truth.

But his best friend didn't believe him. Scorpius planted himself right in front of Albus, poking him in the chest with his index finger accusingly. Even though Albus wasn't short, Scorpius could look down on him, which made him appear even scarier than he was already.

"I don't get it", he barked in his deep voice, his eyes flaming with rage, "all my life you act like you two absolutely hate each other. And I believe you, only to find you sneaking around behind my back! I don't even want to think about what you two have been doing! I'm such an idiot." Albus seemed to deflate a few centimetres under Scorpius's furious expression, as he tried to explain the situation. But Scorpius, jaw clenched tightly, closed his eyes in disappointment and clearly didn't believe him. With his hand he tousled his already messy hair, which he always did when he felt not at ease.

While Albus was still desperately trying to assure his best friend that he was "Not shagging your sister!", as he put it, the door behind his back opened again. "I don't know what in Merlin's beard you're still doing out there, but you better be quiet before you wake up- _oh_!" She broke off suddenly as Albus stepped aside and her eyes fell on her older brother.

Her unexpected appearance worsened Albus's situation. Scorpius groaned angrily at the sight of his sister. She was only wearing an almost translucent, very flimsy negligee. One of its straps had sled down her shoulder, evoking the impression that she had slipped it on rather hastily. Which she hadn't, but Scorpius didn't know that, of course. Without a warning, he smashed his fist on the eye of his best friend.

"Ow! What was that for?", Albus whined in pain, and Cassiopeia screamed "Have you lost your mind?" in a high-pitched voice. Angrily, she grabbed her brother's collar and dragged him into her room. Albus, still holding his eye, followed them with hesitance, closing the door behind them quietly. He hoped that Draco and Astoria Malfoy did not have a light sleep.

While he kept to the back of the room, Cassiopeia pushed her brother on the bed, towering furiously in front of him. "What were you thinking, idiot?" With a glare at him she crossed her arms, asking for an explanation. "What did you expect me to do? You're doing… _unspeakeable _things with my best friend behind my back, and you're asking me to be calm?", he shouted back at her, crossing his arms as well as he leaned against one of her bed posts.

"I didn't do anything behind your back with your best friend! He's disgusting!", she yelled, narrowing her eyes. Albus wanted to interrupt her,"_Disgusting?!_", but with an angry hand gesture she made him fall silent. "And don't get me started on you, Potter! Why can't you just leave me in peace? You're an insensitive prick, you really are! If you would've just left the room after noticing that it was clearly not the library, but no! You had to stay and start a fight", she yelled, making her way across the room.

Albus didn't dare to move, he had never seen her as angry as this. And even though she was a lot smaller than her older brother, she seemed no less scary, stomping towards him with an accusingly raised index finger, just like her brother had done before. Poking the finger in his muscular chest, she hissed: "I'm offended that someone would even think about us doing…whatever!" She flung around, looking back at her brother. "You offend me, you hear that?"

Scorpius's anger had vanished as quickly as it had come, and after giving the idea of Cassiopeia and Albus secretly snogging a second thought, it really seemed ridiculous to him. But giving things a second thought was not a thing he did very often. That was one of the reasons he had been sorted into Gryffindor.

"Yeah, well…I'm sorry, Cassie." And with a quick glance at the already blacking eye of Albus, he added: "And I'm sorry for that, too, mate. Didn't mean to." Albus answered wit a forgiving grin: "It's alright, Scorp, I can barely even feel it." He flinched as he said this, however, proving him a liar. "Probably would've done the same, y'know, if you'd come out of Lily's room, that is."

He nervously tugged at his shirt, not knowing what to say. Even though he was better with words than Scorpius, he was still not very comfortable with "apologies and feelings and stuff", as he had told his friend once. After they had sheepishly grinned at each other for a what felt like a small eternity while Cassiopeia had just rolled her eyes- _boys!_ \- Scorpius turned back to his sister and shot her a disapproving look. "Still, I think you shouldn't be wearing this breath of nothing. It's way too inappropriate to wear for your age."

He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he patronised her. Not that the negligee didn't suit her, quite the contrary. The lavender-coloured dress framed her nicely, and even though she wasn't dressed up, she looked spectacular. It was not how one's fifteen-year-old sister should have looked, Scorpius thought. The thought about all the boys noticing his baby sister's beauty alarmed him- to him, she was still a little girl. Nervously, he glanced at Al, wondering if he had noticed how grown up she was, too.

Cassiopeia shot a dirty look at him, as if she tried to stab him with her icy grey eyes. "It's clearly not inappropriate, idiot! It's inappropriate to get inappropriate ideas because I'm still a minor!" Scorpius looked rather confused because of her ponderous wording and didn't seem to be able to follow. "Besides", she continued, without noticing this, "I am not a child anymore! I am almost sixteen years old, which means I'm basically an adult. I can wear whatever I please."

"Oh sweet summer child", Albus grinned from his corner. Cassiopeia spun around, having almost forgotten about his presence, and watched him scornfully. Her eyes seamed as cold as ice, still, and as he continued, they became even more perishing. But the boy didn't seem to notice, leaning on the wall patronizingly. "Still so young, still so naive. Thinking you're all grown up, are you? Goin' to take a while 'til you're as mature as Scorp and I." His arrogant smirk reappeared on his face.

"Bollocks! If you're mature, I'm going to eat the _Sorting Hat_. You're the most immature person I know, Potter", she sneered. "And our age difference isn't that big, is it? Only a year, that's not much. Technically, we're _almost_ the same age. Only I act more like it than you do!" With a proud movement she flipped her silvery hair over her shoulder, mimicking Albus's arrogant expression.

Before the situation could escalate into a fight again, Scorpius interfered by clearing his throat. When he got his sister's attention, he spoke again. "Still, I wish you wouldn't be wearing that. I don't like it."

His words caused Cassiopeia to be annoyed with him. Pouting, she crossed her arms. "Well, and I don't like what you're wearing, either", she answered, fixing her gaze on the worn-out Bathrobe he was wearing over anold, food-stained Quidditch shirt and a pair of plaid boxers. "And as much as I disagree with your choice of attire, I'm afraid we both won't get the other person to change and have to live with it."

As both of the boys stared at her in disbelief, she crawled in her bed under her silky covers. "And now, would you be so kind to excuse me. It is terrible of you to keep me awake at this ungodly time."

* * *

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction using characters, settings and story-lines from the Harry Potter Universe, which is trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership over them or the world of Harry Potter.

A/N: Hello, avid readers! Is anyone still reading fanfiction these days? (I know I am!) Anyways, I hope you like the first chapter of my story. This story was published on another site before, but the site got shut down. So I thought I post it here, because stories are meant to be read. I hope you like it and give me feedback for this chapter. Please keep in mind that English isn't my first language! Thank you xx


	2. Unexpected Ocurrences

When Cassiopeia opened her eyes the next morning, stretching out in bed for a few more minutes before finally sitting up in the large pile of pillows she had sunk in overnight, it was already midday.

Bright rays of sunlight fell through the glass of her French door, making her room appear as though it was dipped in liquid gold. And what a nice room it was!

Cassiopeia's boudoir was rather large, with her ornamented canopy bed forming its centre. The canopy itself was made out of emerald green velvet and embroidered with fine silver threads, forming delicate Malfoy crests.

As it was a corner room, it was always flooded with sunlight, making it a very cheerful room indeed. Apart from the enormous bed, the room contained her dressing table, as well as a chaise lounge right under the row of arched windows. It was upholstered with the same dark velvet that the canopy was made out of.

Remembering the occurrences of the previous night, a frustrated groan passed from her lips. The nightly quarrel almost seemed unreal, and she wished with all her heart that it had only happened in her dreams. But never would she dream of such silly things, she was sure.

The girl started her morning routine at a glacial pace, as she was not particularly eager to meet her brother, or worse, Albus. But after an hour had passed, her rumbling stomach and the beautiful weather lured her out of her room.

Barefooted she walked down the large marble stairs in almost feline grace, made her way through the entrance hall and the kitchen and finally settled, balancing a bowl of cereal on her knees, on her favourite bench in the garden.

The cold of the stone was a pleasant contrast to the heat of the burning afternoon sun. What an exceptionally warm summer it was, Cassiopeia thought dreamily while letting her gaze wander over the wild English grounds surrounding Malfoy Manor.

Holding her face into the sun and feeling the withered grass tickling her feet, she tried to collect all of her impressions of the summer. The late August air was heavy with the smell of wild flowers and roses, which twined around the wall of the manor behind Cassiopeia's back.

But suddenly, there was a shadow falling on the idyllic scenery. Literally.

As Cassiopeia looked up, she noticed that the shadow happened to be two persons riding broomsticks, circling under the sky like birds. The two boys, obviously Scorpius and Albus, passed a Quaffle to each other, laughing and clearly enjoying themselves.

With an annoyed expression Cassiopeia watched them for a while. In her opinion, they disturbed the peace of the late summer's afternoon.

After a while of bickering, broom-racing and rough-and-tumble-play, the boys decided to come down to earth again. As Albus landed his broom elegantly, he blew Cassiopeia a kiss, to which she responded by rolling her eyes.

The dark-haired boy made his way to the bench she was sitting on, while Scorpius just shrugged and went into the house, not wanting to be dragged into their feud again.

Pleased with her brother's aim, she noticed that Albus's swollen eye had blackened overnight. It looked very painful to her.

"Sporting the Slytherin colour already?", he asked mockingly, looking at her green summer dress and the little silver pendant in the form of a snake dangling around her neck on a delicate chain.

"Coming from an idiot wearing his Gryffindor Quidditch shirt", she shot back, eyeing the sweaty garment distastefully. But the fact that he was covered in sweat didn't seem to affect him at all.

Seeing her wrinkle her button nose clearly amused him, and with a swift movement he pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it into her lap. "There you go", he grinned, "And I can sign it too, if you want. Ah, do you smell the manly odour? _That's_ attractive."

In disgust, she held it up with the tips of her fingers, handing it back to him. But as she lifted her gaze from the dirty shirt and looked at the boy in front of her, the venomous words that had already been on the tip of her tongue deserted her all of a sudden.

As she saw Albus standing there shirtless, his ebony hair windswept and with a cheeky grin playing around the corners of his mouth, she noticed for the first time, that he looked _good_. Really, really good.

He was tall and muscular, with broad shoulders that covered up the fact that he was not seventeen yet and made him appear a lot older than he actually was. His shaggy hair fell into his intensely green eyes, and his normally fair skin was bronzed from the burning summer sun. To her frustration the black eye even increased his appeal.

When he noticed that she wasn't going to say anything, he raised one eyebrow. "What? Malfoy is speechless? Unbelievable." His words seemed to break the spell that lasted on her. Annoyed with herself, she shook her head.

Attractive? Potter? She must have been out in the sunlight for too long. "Maybe you're just not worth a reply", she said pointedly, trying to conceal what she had thought earlier.

And flipping her hair arrogantly over her shoulder, she leapt to her feet and made her way back into the building, leaving Albus sitting on the bench by himself.

* * *

At dinner, the whole Malfoy family, including Albus Potter, had gathered around their large table in the dining room, with Mr Malfoy sitting at one of its ends, and Scorpius at the other.

"Astoria, Darling, would you hand me the potatoes?", Mr Malfoy asked his wife. Mrs Malfoy, a very gentle and nurturing woman, smiled lovingly at her husband while doing what he had asked her to.

She turned to her daughter, brushing a strand of her dark auburn hair behind her ear as she asked: "Cassiopeia, I've been wondering why you haven't been at breakfast today. Normally you're awake very early, especially when the weather is as nice as today."

Concerned she bent over the table, feeling her daughter's forehead. "Are you feeling all right, dear? You are so unusually quiet."

In this moment, the Malfoy's eagle owl Othello flew through one of the terrace doors. Cassiopeia was relieved that she didn't have to answer the question.

He let a heavy letter fall on the girl's lap before landing on Mrs Malfoy's shoulder, nibbling her ear lovingly. With her slender fingers she brushed over Othello's dark feathers and fed him some bread crumbs.

Curiously, but with caution, Cassiopeia examined the envelope. It was made out of heavy parchment, and elegantly swung letters were forming the words:

_Cassiopeia Malfoy_

_Malfoy Manor_

_Wiltshire, England_

"Cassiopeia, where are your manners? Don't open that at the dinner table, put it away for now. We have _guests_", Mrs Malfoy scolded her daughter, with a rare sharpness in her usually soft voice. She cast a quick glance at Albus, who didn't seem to mind.

Hungrily, he shovelled his roast beef in his mouth, swallowing it with barely even chewing. If Mrs Malfoy had caught her own children eating like he did, she would have been appalled. To her, etiquette wasn't just an option. No, it had the utmost importance. But since he was not her child, she just smiled at him indulgently.

But Mr Malfoy made an impatient hand gesture. "Astoria, love, it won't hurt if she opens it now, will it? It looks like an important letter to me. In fact, I'm sure that I got the same letter, once", he said, his voice bristling with pride.

His wife raised one eyebrow in disdain- she didn't like it when her husband was questioning her decisions. But when her glance fell on Mr Malfoy's excited countenance, her own expression softened as well. "Fine, open it", she answered, still looking at him tenderly.

Staring down on the letter in her hands, Cassiopeia's thoughts suddenly darted back to a similar event that had occurred over 5 years ago.

* * *

_"__Father, Father, do you think Othello will bring us a letter from Scorpius today?", a 9-year-old Cassiopeia chirped in excitement. As she was bobbing up and down on her chair nervously, she scattered her scrambled eggs all over the white tablecloth._

_Mrs Malfoy was displeased with the manners of her daughter and the dirty cloth, the little girl received a sharp rebuke._

_"__Be patient, princess", her father told her with a warm smile, peering out from behind his newspaper. But he was not a patient person himself._

_Then the little pigtailed girl shrieked, quivering with anticipation: "Mother, father, it's Othello! Oh, I hope Scorpius has written! I know he has." Cassiopeia missed her brother with all her heart. They'd never been apart for as long as she could remember._

_As she had foretold, the owl carried a letter from Scorpius, and another one from school. Mr Malfoy, proud of his only son carrying on the family tradition, opened the Hogwarts envelope with joyful expectations._

_He had read the first lines of the letter when his facial expression slipped. As he came to terms with the words in front of him he furrowed his brows, tearing his blonde hair._

_"__Draco, my Love, what's wrong?", his wife asked concerned, as she softly placed her filigreed hand on his arm to soothe him._

_Wordlessly he handed her the letter. After she had read it carefully, she gave her husband the evil eye. "Are you serious? This is excellent news, and that's how you react to it? You should be ashamed", she said with a furious voice._

_"__What is it? Did something bad happen?" Cassiopeia looked at her parents with big, frightened eyes. Her fingers played with the tablecloth nervously. She added: "Is he hurt?"_

_Her mother shook her head, still mad her spouse. "It's nothing, Darling", she said, smiling encouragingly at her daughter. "Your brother has arrived at Hogwarts yesterday evening safely, and he is very well."_

_Mr Malfoy forced himself to smile at the 9-year-old, too. With clenched teeth, he explained: "Your brother has been sorted into Gryffindor."_

_Cassiopeia felt instinctively, that it was a very wrong thing to be sorted into Gryffindor. She didn't understand why, but she could tell by the way it had upset her father. He even refused to open Scorpius's letter._

_"__He's still your son", Mrs Malfoy insisted strictly, but her husband left the table without another word, a disappointed look on his face._

_His daughter, remembering his expression, swore to herself that she would never, ever be sorted into Gryffindor._

* * *

The words of her father broke the spell that had lain on Cassiopeia and catapulted her back into the presence. "Didn't you hear your mother? Come on, princess, open the letter already!"

Still a bit dazed from her sudden flashback she ripped the envelope open. Inside was a piece of parchment and something smaller. Something _hard_.

As her eyes darted over the paper, she didn't understand its meaning at first. This had to be a mistake. It could never be… Or could it?

"It's a letter from Hogwarts", she said finally. Now she had the undivided attention from everyone on the table. Even Albus had stopped focussing solely on his roast beef and looked at her in bewilderment instead.

Mrs Malfoy was concerned. "But darling, how can that be? Your supply list has been here weeks ago. Hopefully they didn't make any changes- that would be really inconvenient, in such a short notice", she complained.

But Cassiopeia just shook her head, causing her mother to fall silent. She put her hand in the envelope again, pulling out the little object that was still inside. As she opened her clutching fingers, it was an emerald badge that laid in the centre of her palm.

"I was made a prefect", she said in awe. Her remark caused everyone to speak at once.

"I knew it!", Mr Malfoy shouted triumphantly. "Just like her father, my little girl is! Carrying on the family tradition." His daughter had never seen him this proud before.

"This is excellent news, darling", Mrs Malfoy smiled warmly. "I'm so proud of you. Your grandparents will be thrilled."

Scorpius, who was always rather quiet at the dinner table, broke his silence. "Good job, Cassie", he grinned and tousled her hair fraternally.

"Don't call me Cassie", his sister protested, but she couldn't hold back the smile that lit up her entire face.

It was way past midnight already when Cassiopeia entered her room that night. Her parents had made her write letters to every single relative, telling them the thrilling news. They also had made her wear the Slytherin badge and parade through the parlour over and over again.

She was rather embarrassed by that, but Mr and Mrs Malfoy had insisted. While they were watching their youngest child proudly, Albus almost broke his ribs in order to hold in his laughter. The whole situation was just ridiculous.

Her father, on the other hand, had promised to reward her for the "hard work and social commitment", as he had phrased it. Since school was starting tomorrow, she'd have to wait- but she didn't mind. He always made great, costly presents, completely to Cassiopeia's taste.

All in all, it had been a nice, uneventful evening. Even though it was a late summer's night, the air could be quite cold, and so the fireplace had been lit. Everyone had gathered around.

Mrs Malfoy had been embroidering her husband's new dressing robes with the Malfoy crest. She liked to do it by hand, because she always said it would soothe her to work with needle and thread. Othello had been resting on her shoulder, nestling comfortable against the back of her head.

Scorpius and Albus had played a game of chess, while Mr Malfoy had remained in the corner of the room, writing letters to all of his old school friends. He probably had been boasting about the newest prefect in the family.

Later he and Scorpius took Albus home to his parents, making sure that he returned safely. Because Mr Malfoy dreaded every visit at the Potters, his wife made him go there every time, hoping that he would finally put the feud behind him.

While everyone else went to bed, Cassiopeia had stayed on an ancient armchair by the flickering fire alone. Now that she had finished another book, she thought it was best to get some rest as well.

Exhausted from the day, she yawned as she strode through her extravagantly furnished boudoir. With her eyelids almost closed already, she stretched out her slender fingers to pull back the emerald bedspread.

All of a sudden, she pulled back her hand so abruptly as though she had been stung. There was something in her bed that didn't belong there, she was sure. Eyeing the item warily, she picked up the piece of cloth that someone had placed neatly folded between the cushions.

It was not at all hard to guess who had put it there. With detestation she recognized Albus's brightly scarlet Quidditch jersey dangling from her fingertips. It even had his last name in golden letters stitched on the back.

In relieve she noticed that at least it was freshly washed and not dirty as she had seen it in the afternoon. Nevertheless, she could still scent faint traces of his odour as she put it to her face. She had never realized how pleasant he actually smelled.

She stiffened- why had she just thought such an absurd thing? And why had she put it to her face in the first place? Annoyed by herself she threw the shirt on the floor. "Potter smelling good? As if!", she mumbled under her breath sourly.

As the shirt fell to the ground, a piece of parchment loosened from its collar, where it had been pinned, and drifted right in front of her feet. Curiously she picked it up.

_Now you finally have a piece of clothing you can actually wear in public. –A_, was hastily scribbled on it in Albus's scratchy handwriting.

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes. What an arrogant idiot he was! But somehow, she couldn't stop smiling as she thought about him.

* * *

A/N: Hello, avid fanfiction readers! Here is the second chapter of my story. There are a lot of chapters yet to come, so bear with me!

I would feel ever so grateful for your review. Feedback is great! Thank you and lots of love xxx


	3. The Return to the Castle

The petite stature of Astoria Malfoy looked very fragile against the backdrop of the the magnificent marble hall that was the pompous entrance area of the vast Malfoy estate: Malfoy Manor. But this impression of her was very misleading indeed. Even though the dark-haired witch appeared to be a gentle soul, seemingly out of place as the Lady ruling over the stately home with an iron fist, she was a strong-willed woman expecting everyone to obey her.

At this particular moment, she was angry with her son. Her lips were pressed together tightly, forming a small line. In her usually kind brown eyes lay a stern expression.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, it doesn't matter if you think it's too early to get up! If you are not ready in 5 minutes, I will personally drag you to the platform, with clothes on or not", she shouted up the stairs, her voice magically enhanced. "You will not miss the train to your last year of school, or so help me Merlin!" She did not like to be late.

Even though Mrs Malfoy had woken up her children hours ago, Scorpius had not yet bothered to roll out of his comfortable bed. He was still snoring when his mother's displeased voice echoed through every hall, room and chamber of the tremendous manor, rousing him from his pleasant slumber.

The rest of the Malfoy family didn't dare to speak. They had gathered in the entrance hall a while ago, ready to leave. Knowing that they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, Cassiopeia sat down on her trunk and looked dreamily out of a transom window. The day was way too beautiful to go back to school, she thought, blinking against the bright light of the morning sun. The daylight poured into the foyer, lighting up the shining marble with a golden glow. Once, it had been a very dark room in spite of the white stone- but now it seemed impressive, and even peaceful.

No one would have believed how much Mrs Malfoy had actually renewed the manor before she had made it her home, and so it was not surprising that nothing in the house would remind of its rather dark past. What she had left untouched, however, was its old charm, and so the most of the furniture was very ancient, historical in fact.

The first thing she had removed were the paintings of her husband's ancestors in the hall, as they had always screeched racist tirades of hatred at anyone walking past, and Mrs Malfoy would neither have her children nor guests listening to it. She was ashamed of this part of history and tried to protect her children from it as much as possible. The portraits had been buried in a faraway corner in the attic of Malfoy Manor, where no one would ever look for them.

Cassiopeia was abruptly brought back to the presence as her elder brother rumbled down the staircase, dragging his enormous trunk behind him. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he innocently beamed at his family and announced: "Don't worry everyone, I'm here already. Good to go."

Before his mother could scold him any longer- "How dare you say _already_!" - Mr Malfoy took pity on his son, gripped him by the outstretched arm and disapparated with him quickly.

After they had vanished, Mrs Malfoy took a deep breath and tried to collect herself. Cassiopeia knew by experience that her mother was nervous. Almost everyone that mattered would be at the station today, and she, Astoria Malfoy, had an enormous pressure lasting on her shoulders.

Not only as a former Slytherin, but as a Slytherin refusing to force the outdated blood parity views on her children and raising them in a way that was traditional for the pure-blood families featured on the "Sacred Twenty-Eight", she was frowned upon by not only the former Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students, but the students of her own house as well. It was solely the social status and wealth of her husband's family- and to some, the purity of her blood, even in this age- that made her a reputable member of the wizarding society.

She herself wouldn't have cared at all, for she had her family, whom she loved dearly and that, she thought, was satisfactory enough. But she knew how much it mattered to her husband, even though he didn't admit it, and for his sake she tried her best to fit in.

"Shall we?", she asked gently, looking at her daughter with her big, innocent doe eyes. Cassiopeia took her mother's arm and smiled at her encouragingly. She noticed once more how young her mother looked. Even though she knew that Astoria Malfoy had passed forty several years ago, she still looked like a young girl.

* * *

"Astoria, how _pleasant_ to meet you", chirped a smug, dark-haired witch standing next to Mr Malfoy as soon as she laid eyes on the Astoria Malfoy. Her voice was insincerely sweet and her cordial smile didn't meet her narrowed eyes."Draco and I have just now talked about our old days…"

Instantly, Mrs Malfoy's eyes wandered to the meticulously manicured hand of said witch clawing her husband's shoulder, before she half-heartedly returned the dishonest smile. "Hello, Pansy, how do you do? I see divorce is treating you well. Unfortunately, I don't think I can contribute anything to your conversations apart from what my dear Draco told me about you, as I'm so much _younger _than you and my husband hardly mentioned you at all."

The friendliness of Pansy Flint was getting more forced with every word Mrs Malfoy spoke, and she swiftly removed her fingers from Mr Malfoy's arm. Mrs Malfoy regarded her with a triumphant glance, knowing that she had won Pansy's petty cat-fight.

It was no secret that Pansy Flint had thought Draco Malfoy to be more than a friend throughout their years at Hogwarts. All the more of a shock it had been to her when he chose little Astoria Greengrass, the unremarkable younger sister of her friend Daphne, to be his wife. His parents disapproved of his choice, too, and she couldn't help but feel as though he had betrayed the respectable Malfoy name.

"Well", Pansy answered brusquely, "As much I would love to stay and chat, I just have spotted the Burkes. I'm afraid I have to say hello." After a few steps, she turned around again. "Oh, Draco", she added, "Send your parents my best regards."

Pleased with herself, Astoria watched the accurately trimmed bob of the unpleasant witch disappear in the crowd, before she turned to her husband. "Why does she send regards to your parents?", she asked him, raising one eyebrow.

But she knew quite well herself why Mrs Flint had done it. Her in-laws didn't like Mrs Malfoy's modern views at all, and had always hoped for their son to marry the more traditional Pansy Parkinson instead. And now, Pansy would take any opportunity she could get to remind Astoria Malfoy of the disfavour of her in-laws.

"Oh, Astoria, my love, I will never understand this woman. I also don't care one bit. She can never compare one bit to my beautiful wife", Mr Malfoy said warmly, smiling down on her and putting his arm around her waist to pull her in a reassuring hug. "Besides, you know that I'm not on speaking terms with my parents."

Yes, Mrs Malfoy thought and returned his smile brightly. He had chosen her, Astoria Greengrass, and neither Pansy nor his parents. _Her_.

Cassiopeia cleared her throat to remind her parents of her existence. "I've seen a couple of friends", she lied. "Would it be alright if I leave?"

Mrs Malfoy stroked Cassiopeia's fair hair lovingly as she embraced her daughter. "Farewell, darling", she whispered in her ear, "And don't forget to write me after you've arrived. I wish you a lot of fun this year."

Her father pulled her into his arms as well. "I miss you already princess. You make me very proud, don't forget that." When she beamed up at him, tears stung in her eyes. She knew that she would miss her parents very much.

* * *

"There you are, I've been looking for you", Cassiopeia exclaimed as she saw her brother Scorpius, who was just about to enter a compartment that was already filled with noisy Gryffindors. He had left his ties behind and her parents had instructed Cassiopeia to give them back to her brother before the arrived at the school.

When his sister appeared, he shut the door quickly, so that his friends couldn't hear what they said. They were launched on the worn out seats of the Hogwarts Express, passing around sweets they had brought for the journey. Wherever they had found some space, owl cages had been placed, and on one girl's lap a black cat had curled up into a ball.

In school, it had not always been easy for Scorpius because of his family's rather dark heritage and past. Some people associated him with it even after all this time. His fellow housemates only teased him jokingly, but the topic was his Achilles Heel, and understandably so.

"What's up?", he asked tensely, trying not to mind the people watching them through the glass door. Most of the time, he avoided his sister when they were in school. The less he was tied to the Slytherin house, the better, he thought.

Glancing in the already cramped compartment nervously, Cassiopeia noticed with relieve that Albus wasn't sitting in it, although she recognised several family members of his. Because they were all staring right at her, she felt herself stiffen. _I am not welcome here_, she thought to herself.

"Well, I don't want to bother you for long", she started, twirling her hair between her fingers as she spoke. All the suspicious eyes lasting on her made her quite nervous. "But you forgot to pack these. I was told to give them to you." She pulled out his scarlet-and-gold-striped ties and handed them over.

Scorpius cleared his throat and looked at his toes uncomfortably. "Something else?", he asked absentmindedly. His hand was already resting on the door handle, as he was eager to join his friends in the train compartment.

When it was clear that he wasn't going to thank her and wanted her to leave, she continued, a little annoyed: "Oh, are you bothered by your mean Slytherin sister keeping you from spending time with your heroic Gryffindor friends? You know, even though you are ashamed of your family, you can't deny the fact that I _am_ your family." She scoffed. "Merlin, you can be so pathetic."

Scorpius was still staring at his toes when Cassiopeia heard a familiar voice cheerily asking from behind her back : "Is there a problem?"

With agitation, she spun around. Her grey eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously at the tall boy who had dared to ask the question "Everything is _fine_", she spat, emphasizing on the last word. "Don't you have somewhere to be and bother someone else for a change, Potter?"

But without getting intimidated by her harsh words, the handsome wizard said in the same cheerful voice: "Not until three." He even had the audacity to wink at her. Cassiopeia could only gape at his cockiness. And before she could recollect herself and think of a reply, Albus Potter smoothly slid into the compartment, closely followed by Scorpius who shut the sliding door in front of her flabbergasted face.

Furiously, Cassiopeia turned on her heel, trying to make her way through the now crowded aisle. The train was just about to leave, and the wandering students made it very hard for her to pass through with her heavy trunk.

Finally, she was standing in front of the Prefect's compartment. The door was made from a dark, solid material and not from glass like all the other doors. A silver _P_ for Prefect was painted across it in an elegantly curved font. With excitement, Cassiopeia traced the brandished lines of her own, much smaller _P_ that was engraved on her polished badge and pinned to her robes.

With a jolt, she pushed open the heavy door, letting her eyes wander around the compartment with curiosity. It was quite sizable, much larger than the normal compartments, as the prefects of every house, usually sixth and seventh year students, as well as the head boy and girl had to fit comfortably inside.

In contrary of the rest of the carriage, the seats were clean and had been newly upholstered, and some refreshments had been placed on a coffee table next to the door. A big clock was ticking above their heads, but it did not show the time. Where the number 12 should have been, the Hogwarts crest was displayed instead, and the only clock hand resembled the Hogwarts Express. While the train made its way closer to the castle situated in the Scottish highlands, the clock hand moved closer to the crest at the top of the circular timepiece.

Most of the prefects had gathered already. The head boy and girl would join them later to give them a short introduction of what it meant to be a prefect, undoubtedly eager to lecture them about their new responsibilities and duties.

The Gryffindor prefects were absorbed in a rather heated argument, taking no notice of the girl that had just entered the carriage whatsoever. They filled the whole compartment with their noise. Cassiopeia didn't remember their names.

Next to the window, a lanky Ravenclaw girl had buried her rather large nose in a book while another girl clad in the blue and copper colours braided her long auburn hair. Their fellow housemate's head was resting on her shoulder as he snored loudly. Cassiopeia didn't know their names.

While a freckled Hufflepuff girl bent her round face over some piece of parchment she was scribbling on– was she writing home already? Merlin, they hadn't even left King's Cross station- the mousy boy next to her smiled at Cassiopeia. As she half-heartedly returned the smile, he started to blush and turned his head away from her. Cassiopeia didn't _want_ to know their names.

With a deep sigh she slipped on the seat next to the only familiar face. Robert Davies, a bulky, dark haired boy, gave a little whistle as he laid eyes on her. "Well, look who we have here", he grinned at her appreciatively. "I had absolutely no idea who they had made prefect other than me, and I must say I'm not disappointed."

"You idiot", she laughed, pushing her hair behind her ear. The Slytherins always hung out together in a large crowd, just like a very big family. Even though they weren't especially close or excessively sentimental towards one another, they always had each other's backs and were very protective of their friends.

To herself Cassiopeia thought that she was glad that Robert had been made Prefect as well. She didn't consider him as one of her close friends, but they occasionally talked and he was a very pleasant guy. At the moment, he helped her to store away her heavy trunk as he was a lot stronger than her, for what she was very grateful. They then went on to exchange some empty phrases before chatting about how their summer had been. After a while, they fell silent and Robert followed the Ravenclaw prefect suit and dozed off, too, leaving Cassiopeia to her own thoughts. According to the clock ticking menacingly above their heads, she had quite some time to think things through.

Comfortably, she stretched out in her seat and poured herself a glass of chilled pumpkin juice. From her pocket, she pulled out a half empty bag of _Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans_ that she had put there this morning, and without paying attention, she threw random beans into her mouth, chewing them with relish.

Almost immediately, her attention went back to Albus's shirt inside her trunk. She had debated with herself if she should actually take it with her, but shortly before they left she just had thrown it into her luggage without another thought. She would give it back to him, she had assured herself. The only reason she was taking Albus Potter's Quidditch shirt to Hogwarts was so that she could return it.

Well, maybe.

* * *

When they had finally arrived at Hogwarts, Robert and Cassiopeia climbed into one of the black carriages with several others of the sixth-year Slytherins. As the late summer air was very mild, still, the hood of the carriages were left open, and the students had a spectacular view of the starry evening sky above their heads, of Hogsmeade and later, of the castle as well.

"So, you two are telling me that you were made Prefects not before _yesterday evening_? I was _almost _mad at you for not telling me this yourself, Cassiopeia. I heard it from some random Gryffindor girl, like can you even imagine", Melia Nott, a brown-haired girl sitting next to Cassiopeia, said cheerily.

Cassiopeia smiled at Melia with indulgence. As the daughter of her only, Daphne Nott , she was used to her cousin's talkativeness since they were toddlers. The spirited girl always seemed to be chattering incessantly, but until now, not many people had taken offense.

On Cassiopeia's other side, her friend Idelia Bletchley had sprawled herself on the seat of the carriage. To strangers, the tall girl might have seemed shy, but her friends knew that she just wasn't a person of many words. Even now, she followed the conversation in such a phlegmatic tranquillity that she was easily forgotten by her classmates.

Everyone was in cheerful spirits that evening, with the exception of Hazel Flint, who furrowed her brons in disdain. The name Hazel was one of the most unsuitable names her parents could have chosen for her, Cassiopeia thought, as the girl didn't have any hazel-coloured features at all.

Hazel really wasn't a beautiful girl, but she put so much effort in herself that she could almost pass as pretty. She kept her thin black hair in an accurate bob similar to her mother's, and her pale, pointy face was heavily made up. Right now, her watery blue eyes scrutinized Cassiopeia through her bangs.

"I still think it's funny that they picked _you_", she said bluntly, looking at Cassiopeia confrontationally. "Personally, I wasn't surprised when you didn't show up in the train. I always thought it was just a matter of time before you changed sides and sat with your little Gryffindor brother instead."

Melia shook her head with pity, raising one eyebrow before she sharply answered: "Oh shut it, Hazel, literally everyone knows that you wanted to claw the position with your false fingernails for yourself. You're just being ridiculous."

The girl Melia had addressed shot her a scathing look, but didn't say anything in return. As things had calmed down, everyone carried on the conversation and had soon forgotten about the sulking Hazel in the corner of the carriage.

* * *

A/N:Hello, avid readers!

Whatever you celebrate, I wish you happy holidays! I hope you like the new chapter (I've been seriously editing this. Ugh, so many mistakes!)

As always, I would be very grateful for a review and will upload the new chapter fairly soon.

Lots of love! - Izzy Bennett


End file.
